Category Archives: Enticing Events

Where the Dahlias Bloom

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One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.
One of the many varieties of dahlias at EarthSpoke Farms.

Mendocino, CA — Tulips and calla lillies have long been my favorite flowers. But after visiting EarthSpoke Farms in Mendocino last week, I just might have to add a third.

Founded in 2022, it grows dahlias. More than 250 varieties. In every vivid color imaginable. In sizes that range from a mere 1 1/2 inches to a staggering 10 inches across.

If you happen to have this Saturday or next free to take a drive up the coast, now is the time to take advantage of one of the last u-pick events of this season at one of the largest dahlia farms in California.

My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.
My u-pick bouquet that I assembled.

Reserve a spot, and for $50, you are given a mason jar half-filled with water and a pair of scissors to snip stems in the supporting garden planted with snap dragons, pussy willows, roses, zinnias, and other greenery. To complete your arrangement, you get to pick six dahlias from the nearby buckets of freshly-cut ones. Change the water regularly, and your bouquet should last about a week.

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Late-Night Fried Chicken at Michelin-Starred Ssal

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Behold the glorious, late-night fried chicken at Ssal.
Behold the glorious, late-night fried chicken at Ssal.

There are times when fried chicken means a napkin tucked into your collar and Wet Ones at the ready as you dig your hand into a cardboard bucket of the stuff.

But there are other times when fried chicken is savored in a chic minimalist dining room with mood lighting, a glass of French Champagne, and a tin of osetra caviar with a mother-of-pearl spoon to complete the picture.

If an elevated fried chicken dinner, one with Korean flourishes, is what you crave, Michelin-starred Ssal in San Francisco has now got you covered.

Chef-Owner Junsoo Bae.
Chef-Owner Junsoo Bae.

Your appetite just has to hold out until after its usual tasting menu service concludes and its yasik or Korean late-night eating culture menu takes over afterwards on weeknights. Although in South Korea that usually means midnight, you won’t have to wait quite that long here, but just until about 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m.

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Spotlighting Soft Shell Crab At Boulevard

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The star attraction of Boulevard's special soft shell crab menu.
The star attraction of Boulevard’s special soft shell crab menu.

Connoisseurs of soft shell crabs know that the time is right from now through mid-summer to enjoy this specialty shellfish.

One place to savor them in exceptional style is San Francisco’s iconic Boulevard restaurant, which is offering a special soft shell crab menu every Thursday from now through Aug. 29.

The four-course prix fixe is $119 per person (or $160.83 inclusive of 6 percent SF Mandate, 8.63 percent sales tax, and 20 percent service charge). An optional wine pairing is $65.

Because only a set number of soft shell crab menus are offered each Thursday, it pays to reserve it ahead of time. Otherwise, you take your chance as to whether any are still available when you finally sit down at your table with a view of the Bay Bridge.

An icon that will celebrate 32 years in September.
An icon that will celebrate 32 years in September.
The dining room got a refresh in 2021.
The dining room got a refresh in 2021.

I was fortunate enough to be invited in last Thursday as a guest of the restaurant to try the menu spotlighting the seasonal crab that is harvested when it has outgrown and shed its hard shell but before its new shell has hardened.

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Gott’s Roadside Celebrates 25 Years With Specials Year-Long

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The fried softshell crab sandwich with a glass of Bieler Pere et Fils rose (in Riedel stemware, no less) at Gott's.
The fried softshell crab sandwich with a glass of Bieler Pere et Fils rose (in Riedel stemware, no less) at Gott’s.

Gott’s Roadside celebrates a milestone 25th anniversary this year with a rotating menu of specials each month.

Way back in 1999, brothers Joel and Duncan Gott took over this outdoor roadside eatery on Highway 29 in St. Helena. Taylor’s Refresher, as it was called then, was groundbreaking in that it took fast-casual favorites and elevated them with better ingredients. Its menu also included Napa Valley and greater California wines by the glass, half bottle, and bottle — an unheard of addition back then.

All of that helped it earn it a James Beard American Classic Award.

Today, there are eight Gott’s in the Bay Area.

Armed with a gift card courtesy of the restaurant, I checked out some of June’s special offerings.

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Gilda’s Salon in San Francisco: Where Art and Food Converge

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Spicy pork two ways, a dish at Gilda's Salon that was inspired by a Southeast Asian painted tapestry at the Asian Art Museum
Spicy pork two ways, a dish at Gilda’s Salon that was inspired by a Southeast Asian painted tapestry at the Asian Art Museum

At Gilda’s Salon in San Francisco’s Proper Hotel, artistry on the plates has taken on a whole new meaning.

That’s because the special dinner series held in this swank room every other Friday night was inspired by actual artwork on display at the nearby Asian Art Museum.

Executive Chef Jason Fox and his team created this provocative 10-course menu after a fun fact-finding trip to the museum to study its exhibits.

This particular menu will be available at least through the end of July, at which time it is expected to change. It is $150 per person with an optional $60 pairing with Napa’s Ashes & Diamonds wines.

I had a chance to experience it last week, when I was invited in as a guest.

The lobby of the Proper Hotel in San Francisco.
The lobby of the Proper Hotel in San Francisco.
Gilda's Salon -- the setting for these special dinners.
Gilda’s Salon — the setting for these special dinners.

Designer to the stars Kelly Wearstler is responsible for the maximalist style of the hotel, where a bevy of colors, artwork, and eye-popping patterns somehow come together in harmony.

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